CSIF Tips of the Month – December 2015

During the month of November, the Coalition partnered to host two open houses. The first was held at Brandt and Stacy Ferry’s new cattle barn in Shelby County. The barn, built by Iowa Beef Systems, holds 600-head, has a gable roof and a pit underneath it. Read more about their barn here.

Also in November, Jim & Joan Sterling, Josh Sterling, and Andrew & Jaime Vandehaar of Farson Livestock, LLC hosted an open house at their new hog barn. The hog barn helped Jim & Joan’s son Josh and son-in-law Andrew return to the farm full-time. Watch the family’s story in this video and read more here. When they started thinking about adding a hog barn, the first call they made was to the Coalition. Why? Hear it from them.

Rules & Regs Highlight: Winter Manure Application

The rules restricting application on snow-covered ground (defined as soil having one inch or more of snow cover or one-half inch or more of ice cover) kick in Dec. 21. However, if manure can be injected or incorporated, it can still be land applied. From Feb. 1 to April 1, liquid manure can’t be applied on frozen ground (defined as impenetrable due to frozen soil moisture but does not include soil that is frozen to a depth of two inches or less).

These frozen and snow-covered ground restrictions apply to liquid manure from confinement barns with over 500 animal units. (This law does not apply to manure from open feedlots or dry manure.) Always be sure to follow your manure management plan, master matrix and permit conditions.

No matter the size of farm or type of manure, Iowa law requires manure to be applied in a way that protects water quality and meets separation distances.

For more information, call the Coalition at 800-932-2436.

Windbreak Design Tip: Deciduous Trees

Do you know the difference between deciduous, evergreen and ornamental trees? And, more importantly, the differences in how they work in windbreaks? Here’s an easy-to-read article that summarizes the differences.

And if deciduous trees interest you, check out this new blog post featuring key information about some of the most popular deciduous species.

Farmgate Quotables

“Our first meeting with CSIF was hugely informative and provided us with the dos and don’ts. It really simplified things, gave us an opportunity to ask questions and ensure that we were doing things right.” – Marty Schwers, Dubuque County cattleman